Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Eight years ago today I was in an auto accident. I was able to stand for the first time on Christmas day. I got out of the hospital sometime after New Years. At that point I was counting how far I walked each day in feet. I was in a wheelchair for the better part of the day for a couple months. Then I was using a walker. After three months I was able to go back to work half time. Six months after the accident I was able to work full time and was using a cane. I could put on my own socks without using a device. About eight months after I was working on advanced mobility in physical therapy, things like using a ladder and stepping up over the curb. I graduated physical therapy in September.

Now I still take more medicine than I thought possible and live with pain. But life is pretty much back to normal. I can walk without a limp. I can still dance, but no dawn dances for me anymore; a couple of hours is all I can stand. I can swim, but I'm a lot slower and swim about 1/2 the distance I could before. Most people would not what I know I had been through.

Part of my recovery is due to having some excellent medical support. The physical therapy people in the hospital worked with me every day including Christmas and New Years. The physical therapist I had after the hospital, Hope Rehab, was also excellent. Thanks Gretchen and all your staff. I had a recovery doctor, there aren't many around who worked on controlling pain and building my strength back. The pulmonary doctor who did the initial work on the blood clots was excellent. So many nurses and doctors and technicians and ... Thanks to all.

An auto accident is a life changing event. You can smoke or have high cholesterol, or any number of things that will, over time, affect your quality of life. An accident changes things in an instant. Take care this holiday season.